decoration on the cupboard's upper case

First of all - I see Pete Galbert sent a bunch of readers my way, so hello to all the new subscribers. If I did it right, there’s about 10 free posts from back when I started this blog, plus one or two others here & there. Those will give you an idea of what I tend to write about. Today, it’s the repro 1680s cupboard I’ve been making this year. Ultimately some of this content will be part of a book I’m writing for Lost Art Press about making these cupboards. I’m not sure anyone would ever want to make one, but it will at least serve as a record of how one joiner in the 21st century tackled trying to figure out how they were made. 

Way back when I had a Buffalo Springfield bootleg. I forget if it was any good, but somewhere on the back was the phrase “Repetition is the mother of retention.” Yup, I’ll go along with that. 20 years ago I was immersed in studying a group of about 12 cupboards including this one, all from one shop in northern Essex County Massachusetts. Around that time, maybe a little after, I collaborated with two friends, Ted Curtin and Rob Tarule, on a related cupboard that ended up in the Iron Master’s house at the recreated Saugus Iron Works in Saugus, Massachusetts. 

And now this year I’m making the 2nd version of this cupboard in a row. And I feel like I’m just getting my head wrapped around them now. Their structure is complex for what it is - each one has overhanging “jetties” and framing those requires several consecutive thoughts. I had focused on the structure to the point where now I understand it fine and can work out the framing without any grey matter being sacrificed.